Who will get the new vaccine first?

Pfizer’s chief executive has said that it could have 30 to 40 million doses of the vaccine before the end of the year, enough for 15 to 20 million people to get an initial shot and a booster three weeks later.

Exactly who will qualify for the initial doses has not been decided, but groups that are at higher risk for infection, or are more vulnerable to the virus, are likely to get priority. That could include health care workers as well as older adults and those who have risk factors like obesity or diabetes.

Pfizer and BioNTech say they could ramp up to 1.3 billion doses a year. That’s still far from enough to satisfy the world’s need for vaccines. If other vaccines also prove effective, companies will be able to manufacture them as well and help meet the demand.

누가 백신을 먼저 맞을 수 있나? 

화이자의 CEO는 올해 말까지 약 3~4천만 도스(1500만 ~ 2천만 명 분)를 생산할 수 있을 것이라고 했다. 누가 초기 생산분을 받게 될 지는 결정된 바가 없으나 감염 위험이 높거나 바이러스 더 취약한 계층이 우선 순위를 받을 가능성이 높다. 의료서비스 종사자, 노년층, 당뇨나 비만 등의 위험 인자를 갖고 있는 사람들 등이다. 앞으로 연간 약 13억 도스까지 생산량을 늘릴 수 있다고 제조사는 밝혔다. 

When will the general public be able to get it?

Pfizer has said that it will likely apply for emergency authorization in the third week of November, after it collects the two months of safety data that the F.D.A. has asked manufacturers to submit. Then, the agency will consult with an outside advisory committee of experts, and may take weeks to pore over detailed data about the vaccine’s safety, effectiveness, and the companies’ ability to safely manufacture millions of doses.

The vaccine could be authorized for certain high-risk populations before the end of the year, but that would only happen if everything goes as planned and there are no unforeseen delays.

일반 대중은 언제 접종할 수 있나? 

화이자는 FDA 긴급 승인을 11월 셋째주에 신청할 계획이라고 밝혔고, FDA가 백신의 안정성, 효과, 제조사의 생산 능력 등을 검토하는데 수주가 소요될 것이다. 아무 문제 없이 진행된다면 올해말까지 고위험군을 위한 백신은 승인될 것으로 보인다.